A number of techniques exist to help build presentation modules in a workflow solution. Most of them are technology driven (for example, JavaScript® (JavaScript is a registered trademark of Sun Microsystems, Inc.), the Ajax technique, and the Portlet technique) rather than architecture driven. The Ajax technique, for example, provides a non-intrusive content refreshing architecture for Web-based presentations. The Portlet technique, as another example, provides a modularized layout framework to define a presentation interface. However, the evolution of underlying technologies may result in the need to change implementations of those existing approaches. As the market-place is increasing and demanding flexibility and speed to market, the technology-dependent existing approaches do not help address these needs. Existing architecture-driven techniques are often represented by the model view control (MVC) approach. However, these existing architecture-driven approaches stay at high-level abstraction for presentation structures and do no guide to construct fine-grained architecture.
Consequently, the existing approaches lack flexibility and extensibility, and are unable to reconfigure their architectural building blocks as needed to adapt to changing requirements of a pertinent organization or other entity. The market place is increasing, and demanding flexibility and speed to market. Technology-dependent solutions do not help address this need. Abstract building blocks are better suited to address this growing need.
Therefore, there is a need to overcome the limitations of the existing approaches.